Success Stories

BST Solutions
Recruiting Challenge – Managing Director, International

Situation
BST is an international performance solutions company focused on connecting people and systems. They are a recognized leader in developing and delivering behavior-based performance improvement solutions. The senior executive managing the international division had announced his intention to retire and BST made a business decision to recruit a UK-based replacement who could aggressively expand the business throughout Europe.

Rice Cohen Approach
Rice Cohen International conducted an extensive needs analysis and created a profile of the ideal candidate for this position. The role required significant knowledge and experience developing new business in multiple countries across Europe as well as managing relationships with existing alliance partners. A targeted list of direct competitors as well as companies in the US and Europe providing similar services was created and the team launched a campaign to contact and engage qualified candidates.

Search Results
Rice Cohen International identified and interviewed 37 qualified candidates. We presented 8 of strongest candidates and BST agreed to interview a short list of the top 4 – 2 based in the US and 2 based in the UK. RCI scheduled interviews and coordinated with BST’s Human Resources department to bring final candidates to California to complete an extensive assessment center. Following the outcome of the assessments, the team consulted with the leadership of BST to create a winning offer and succeeded in hiring the candidate of choice located within 30 minutes of their offices in the UK.

Institute for International Research (IIR)
Recruiting Challenge – SVP, Technology Development

Situation
International Institute for Research is the world’s largest knowledge and skills transfer company. With executive offices located in London, UK and operations in more than 40 countries, IIR identified a need to locate and recruit a US-based executive to lead the development and integration of their worldwide technology initiatives.

Rice Cohen Approach
This position required a specific skill-set combining a depth of technical knowledge with extensive management and leadership experience. Rice Cohen International researched and compiled a list of companies employing candidates with the skills and experience IIR was seeking. The team also utilized our nationwide network of business and professional contacts to assist in locating passive candidates not actively engaged in pursuing new opportunities. Although relocation was an available option, the RCI goal was to identify a local candidate who would not require a move.

Search Results
Through extensive screening and selection, Rice Cohen International identified a candidate in the local geography with the right blend of technical, management and interpersonal skills who also complimented the culture and business philosophy of IIR. The candidate was interviewed early in the process and targeted as a strong fit, but due to other business issues the focus shifted away from the search for a time while these issues were addressed. During this period the candidate accepted a promotion and took on additional responsibilities within their current organization. Because Rice Cohen International had built a strong relationship with this individual, we were successful in reconnecting and rekindling their interest once the search was reactivated. Within two weeks a winning proposal was negotiated resulting in the successful hire of IIR’s first SVP, Technology Development.

Practising Law Institute (PLI)
Recruiting Challenge – Director of Sales

Situation
Practising Law Institute is a non-profit continuing legal education organization chartered by the Regents of the University of the State of New York, founded in 1933. PLI made a business decision to hire an experienced, professional sales leader to bring structure and cohesion to the sales organization.

Rice Cohen Approach
Rice Cohen International identified all the direct competitors as well as alternate companies having a similar business model within a commutable distance to the PLI corporate offices. The team contacted, engaged and interviewed the top 23 sales leaders and presented PLI with a short list of 5 highly qualified candidates.

Search Results
Rice Cohen International completed the search and selection process in less than 30 days with a formal offer extended to the candidate of choice within two weeks of the final interviews. Using the RCI process a Director of Sales was successfully recruited and hired in less than 60 calendar days from project launch to start date of the new hire.

Canadian Management Centre (CMC)
Recruiting Challenge – National Account Director (3)

Situation
Canadian Management Centre is the strategic affiliate of the American Management Association (AMA) – the largest membership-based training and business solutions organization in the world. Rice Cohen International has worked extensively with AMA completing key search projects including:

• Regional Vice President, Eastern Operations
• Managing Director of Federal Learning
• Director of Catalog Marketing
• Regional Sales Directors in Boston, Philadelphia and San Francisco.

When CMC was experiencing difficulty recruiting candidates to form an elite sales and business development team, the senior leadership of AMA encouraged them to contact Rice Cohen International for assistance.

Rice Cohen Approach
CMC needed to hire multiple National Account Directors in cities across eastern Canada. Although similar is scope, each Director would focus on different industries and types of accounts. Rice Cohen International scheduled several conference calls to gather pertinent information and created search assignment profiles specific to each location. In Montreal there was a need for bilingual French/English capability, in Ottawa the emphasis was on working with the Federal government and in Toronto it was building relationships with large commercial accounts. Once the profile was established the team executed a strategy that involved contacting Canadian-based training companies, US-based training companies with locations in Canada and mobilizing our network of industry contacts to identify qualified candidates.

Search Results
Rice Cohen International screened over 165 leads and interviewed more than 40 candidates before presenting a list of the most qualified to CMC. The project began just before Thanksgiving and despite the challenge of three consecutive Holidays, RCI delivered the first placement in early January, the second 1 week later and the third 10 days following that. CMC had three new National Account Directors hired and working within 55 business days of the project start date. Shortly afterwards, they identified the need to hire 2 additional National Account Directors in the Toronto area and once again turned to RCI to assist in their recruiting efforts. .